Disposal



H. J. PICKER July 23, 1968 DISPOSAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 50. 1965 INVENTOR. H460; 0 p/cw'e,

H. J. PlCKER July 23, 1968 DISPOSAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30, 1965 INVENTOR.

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July 23, 1968 H J. PICKER 3,393,462

DISPOSAL Filed July 30, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

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H. J. PICKER July 23, 1968 DISPOSAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 30. 1965 INVENTOR. HAEOLD P/cxnse,

United States Patent 3,393,462 DISPOSAL Harold J. Picker, 118 Alton Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45404 Filed July 30, 1965, Set. N0. 476,101 12 Claims. (Cl. 3712) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A motor-driven snow or waste material-collecting vehicle having a rotary transverse pick-up conveyor at its forward end delivering the material into an upwardly and rearwardly-inclined conduit leading to and emptying into a heating chamber mounted on the rear portion of the vehicle. The chamber is heated by gas 'burner jet-s hori zontally-arranged at various levels in the chamber. The rotary agitating rollers are mounted in the chamber between the levels of the burner jets. A screened tray is slidably-mounted in the lower portion of the chamber, the chamber having a collection tank beneath the tray for liquid and waste material. An air compressor feeds compressed air to the burner jets. The pick-up conveyor is mounted in a housing provided with a suction blower impeller driven from the vehicle engine. The various rotary parts of the machine are driven from the vehicle engine through a transmission having a gear shift lever which may be used to, at times, drive the ground-engaging wheels of the vehicle when it is not collecting waste material.

This invention relates to a disposal for snow and other waste materials, especially, but not exclusively, for use on parking lots, streets, playing fields, and the like.

The primary object of the invention is the provision, preferably in mobile, self-propelled form, of a self-contained, compact, eflicient, and economical device of the kind indicated, which comprises a driven material pickup component, an air conduit leading from the pick-up component, a controlled discharge hopper into which the conduit empties, the picked up material being air-driven through the conduit into the hopper, by blower means, the hopper discharging into the upper part of a vertical melting or incinerating heating chamber, whereby the material, whether snow or other waste material, is continuously handled and reduced to a fluid disposable form, and adapted to be discharged, as into an available sewer, without further handling.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in a device of the character indicated above, of agitator roller means, within the melting or incinerating chamber, which serves to continuously expose the material to heat from burner means, as the material is thereby gradually altered in form or consistency, in transit from the upper part of the chamber to the lower part thereof, the material in transit being also continuously subjected to agitation and break-up, by the actions of the roller means.

A further object of the invention is the provision, in a device of the character indicated above, of drive means comprising a single motor, and drive components, selectively connectible to the motor, for driving, at different times, the blower means, the conveyor means, the roller means, and the pick-up means, together; and the self-propelling means of the device.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the device of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are vertical transverse sections, tak- 3,333,432 Patented July 23, 1968 en on the line 44 and 5-5, respectively, of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section, taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section, taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary end elevation, showing another form of material pick-up, for use with waste material, other than snow; and,

FIGURE 9 is a vertical transverse section, taken through FIGURE 8.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and first toFIG- URES l to 7 thereof, the device therein illustrated, com-' prises a chassis 10, supported on a rear fixed axle-12, having ground-engaging drive wheels 14 thereon, and a fixed forward axle 16, having steering knuckles 18, on its ends, carrying steerable ground-engaging wheels 20 having steering arms 21 connected together by a transverse steering drag link 22, the last being suitably connected by means (not shown) to a steering wheel 24. The steering wheel 24 is supported on a steering post 26 rising from a hollow upstanding cover 28, enclosing the upper part of a motor 30. A floor 32 extends rearwardly from the lower part of the cover 28 and supports a gear shift lever 34, in front of an operators seat 36, supported on the floor 32.

Mounted beneath the floor 32 is a gear shift box 38, from which an upper horizontal longitudinal shaft 40 extends forwardly and carries a bevel gear wheel 42 which is in mesh with a gear wheel 44, on the drive shaft 46 of the motor 30. A lower, rearwardly extending shaft 48 extends from the lower part of the gear shift box 38, and is operatively connected by means (not shown) to a transverse shaft 50, having sprocket wheels 52, on its outer ends, over which rearwardly extending sprocket chains 54 are trained, which, in turn, are trained over sprocket wheels 56, on the rear ground-engaging wheels 14. The shaft 48 has a sprocket wheel 58, on its rear end, over which is trained, an upwardly extending sprocket chain which is trained over a sprocket wheel 62, fixed on a short longitudinal rearwardly extending shaft 64. The shaft 64, as shown in FIGURE 3, is journaled through bearings 66 supported on the top wall 68 of a rectangular, transversely elongated collection tank 70, supported on the chassis 10 at the rear end thereof.

A transversely and vertically elongated snow melting or waste material incinerating heating chamber 72, of rectangular form, is supported on and rises from the tank 70, the chamber 72 having front and rear walls 74 and 76, respectively, leftand right-hand end walls 78 and 80, respectively, and a top wall "82, closing the upper end of the chamber. Mounted upon the chamber top wall 82, at the left-hand end thereof, is an upstanding hollow cylindrical receiver 84, having a vertical side wall 86 which, on its left-hand side, is formed with a chordally elongated opening 88, accommodating the similarly formed rear end portion 90, of a cylindrical hollow conduit 92, which is angled upwardly and rearwardly to the receiver 84, from a location forwardly of the motor cover 28. An axial air exhaust stack 94 extends through the top wall 96, of the receiver 84.

Immediately beneath the open bottom of the receiver 84, is a horizontal transverse screw conveyor 98, enclosed in a trough of which the chamber top wall 82 is a part, the screw conveyor being journaled, at one end, as indicated at 102, in a conveyor trough end wall 104, spaced from the left-hand end wall 78 of the chamber 72, and, as indicated at 108, in the left-hand end wall 110, of the trough 100, whereat the conveyor shaft 112 has a bevelled pinion 112. The pinion 112 is in mesh with a beveled gear wheel 114, fixed on the adjacent end of a forwardly extending jack shaft 116, journaled through bearings 118 on the outside of the right-hand end wall 80 of the chamber 72, and having a sprocket Wheel 120, on its forward end, over which a sprocket chain 122 is trained. At the left-hand end of the chamber top wall 82, the same is formed with an upstanding products of combustion or steam outlet stack 124, located between the left-hand end wall 104 of the conveyor trough 100 and the adjacent chamber end wall 78.

The bottom wall 126 of the conveyor trough 100 is formed, as shown in FIGURE 4, with a plurality of longitudinally spaced, relatively large discharge openings 128, by means of which the conveyor screw 98 discharges material from the receiver, into the upper part of the chamber 72. As also seen in FIGURE 4, the trough bottom wall 126 has an imperforate portion 130, facing the open lower end of the receiver 84, which precludes direct discharge of material, into the chamber 72, from the receiver 84.

A vertically elongated protective hood 132 is supported along the right-hand end wall 80 of the chamber '72, and encloses the related control valve equipped ends of horizontal gas burners 134, supported on and extending through the same end wall, in vertically spaced relationship to each other. An electrical air blower 136, connected to a suitable source of electric current (not shown) carried by the device, is connected in air-feeding relation to the burners 134, as indicated at 138. Other similar burners 140 extend through the left-hand end wall 78 of the chamber 72, on levels spaced between and above the righthand burners 134, and are similarly connected, as indicated at 142, to an air blower 144. Fuel for the burners 134 and 140 is supplied thereto, as indicated at 146 and 148, respectively, by means of a pipe 150, leading from the lower part of a fuel tank 152, fixedly mounted, by means of brackets 154, to the front wall of the chamber 72, above a compressed air tank 156.

An air compressor 158 is driven by a chain 160, on the shaft 64, and has a compressed air pipe 162, leading to the air tank 156. The air tank 156 has a pipe 164 leading therefrom to the pipes 166, the latter being connected both to the fuel tank pipe 150 and to the gas burner connections 146 and 148, and to the blower connections 138 and 142, whereby the burners 134 and 140 discharge streams of force-fed burning gases into and crosswise of the interior of the chamber 72, at the various levels of the burners.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, horizontal rows of closely and similarly spaced agitator rollers 168, disposed on horizontal .longiudintal axes, extend across the chamber 72, below the conveyor trough 100, these rows of agitator rollers being arranged in planes which put single rows between adjacent burners 134 and 140, and above the uppermost and the lowermost burners. In adjacent rows of agitator rollers 168, rollers thereabove and therebelow are staggered so as to be located between adjacent rollers in the rows.

The rollers 168, as shown in FIGURE 6, are preferably of hollow cylindrical forms, having end walls 170, fixed on axial shafts 172, which, as shown in FIGURE 7, extend through bores 174, in the front and rear walls of the chamber 72, and are journaled, as indicated at 176, in bearings 178, supported externally on these walls. The forward ends of the roller shafts 172 have sprocket wheels 180, fixed thereon, over which the above mentioned chain 122 is trained, as shown in FIGURE 5, whereby all of the agitator rollers 168 turn at the same rate of speed, with adjacent rows of rollers rotating in different directions. Idler hold-down rollers 182, journaled on the chamber front wall, bear down upon the flights of the chain 122, related to each row of agitator rollers 168.

The agitator rollers 168, as shown in FIGURE 6, further comprise outwardly opening channel-shaped raddles 184, extending between and fixed to the roller end walls 170, and equally spaced around the end walls 170. The desirable actions of the rotation of the agitator rollers 168, are to break up material deposited thereon, throw the material therefrom so as to subject the material more thoroughly to the heat within the chamber 72, produced by the burners 134 and 140, cause the larger pieces of material to move across the chamber, along the rows of agitator rollers, for further subjection thereof to heat, while, at the same time, enabling material small enough to fall between the adjacent rollers, to fall to lower levels, in contact .with the burner flames, so that complete melting, in the case of snow, and complete incineration, in the case of other waste material, is attained, as the material reaches the lower end of the chamber '72.

Slidably supported beneath the open lower end of the chamber 72, is a removable screen tray 186, having a handle 188, on its left-hand end wall 190, as shown in FIGURE 4. The tray or drawer 186 has a right-hand end wall 192, adapted, in the closed position of the drawer, to engage a portion 194, at the lower end of the righthand end wall of the chamber 72. The drawer 186 has side walls 196, and a screen 198 extends between the side walls 196 and the drawer end walls 190 and 192, and is adapted to trap and retain particles of material, which are not melted or not incinerated in the chamber, so that such particles are excluded from accumulating undesirably in a water or processed material receiving tank 70, disposed beneath the lower end of the chamber 72 and the drawer 186. The tank 70 has a top wall 200 which is formed with an opening 202, registered with the open lower end of the chamber 72, across which the drawer 186 extends, the drawer 186 being slidably supported on the tank top wall 200. The tank 70 is provided, preferably at its right-hand end, with a valved discharge fitting 204, to which is adapted to be connected a host (not shown) leading to a sewer, or other place of disposal of the contents of the tank 70.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the depressed forward end of the conduit 92 is secured, as indicated at 205, in registered relation to the open top of a blower casing 206, mounted on the chassis 10, in front of the motor cover 28, and enclosing a suction blower fan 208, having a rearwardly extending horizontal longitudinal shaft 210, journaled, as indicated at 212, and entering the lower part of the motor cover 28. The blower fan shaft 210 has a sprocket Wheel 214, fixed on its rear end, over which a chain 216 is trained, the chain 216 being trained also over a sprocket wheel 218 on a horizontal shaft 220, supported within the cover 28. The shaft 220 has a beveled pinion 222, on its rear end, which is in mesh with the beveled gear wheel 44 on the motor shaft 46.

The blower casing 206 is open, at its forward side, and its forward wall is formed with a transversely elongated horizontal, material intake 224, defined by forwardly divergent upper and lower walls 226 and 228, respectively, and end walls 230. An auger conveyor shaft 232 is journaled, at its ends, as indicated at 234, in the intake end walls 230, which are in forwardly convergent relationship, as shown in FIGURE 1. The auger shaft 232 has fixed thereon an auger conveyor 236, which has similar but reversed halves 238, which act to convey material entering the intake 224, toward the center thereof, and into the blower housing 206. The blower fan 208 then acts to blow the received material up through the conduit 92, into the receiver 84.

At its right-hand end, the auger shaft 232 has a sprocket wheel 240, over which a rearwardly extending chain 241 is trained, the chain 241 being also trained over a sprocket wheel 242, on the right hand end of the motor shaft 46.

As a result of the foregoing arrangements, the gear shift lever 34 having been properly positioned, the intake blower 208, the air and gas compressor 158, the conveyor screw 98, in the elevated horizontal trough and the agitator rollers 168 are simultaneously operated, so that material, such as snow, containing hard ice, deposited from the trough 100, into the upper part of the heating chamber 72, is carried across the interior of the chamber 72, is dropped downwardly between the rollers 168, at

the various levels of the rows of rollers 168, and is, at the same time, in melting contact with the flame jets issuing from the burners 134 and 140, at the opposite ends of the chamber 72.

This transit of the material, accompanied by the agitating action of the rollers 168, assures that, by the time the material falls to and reaches the screen 198, of the removable tray 186, all except unmeltable components of the material has been converted to water, which falls through the screen 198, into the collection tank 70.

In the case where the device is employed to convert, for disposal, from the collection tank 70, material other than snow or ice, such as mixed waste material, including paper, garbage, and the like, the collection tank is adapted to be partially filled with water, into which the waste material, incinerated in the device, falls and forms a drainable fluid, adapted to be discharged through the valved discharge 204 of the tank 70.

Where the device is employed for the handling and conversion of waste material, other than snow and ice, the intake assembly, including the intake 224 and the auger screw conveyor 236, are replaced by an intake assembly 244, shown in FIGURES 8 and 9.

The waste material intake assembly 244 comprises a blower casing 246, substantially similar to the blower casing 206, of FIGURES 1 to 7, to the open forward side of which is fixed a transversely elongated horizontal nozzle 246, having forwardly declining, substantially parallel upper and lower wall 248 and 250, respectively. The upper wall 248 curvedly merges, at its forward end, as indicated at 252, into a short penpendicular portion 254, having a horizontal lower edge 256, which is coplanar with the lower edges 258 of the end walls 260 of the intake nozzle 246.

The lower wall 250 of the assembly 244 terminates, at its forward end, in a short downturned portion 262, which extends below the common lower edges of the nozzle, and has affixed to the underside thereof, a shoe 264, having upturned 'front and rear edge portions 266. The shoe 264 is provided for random contact with the surface over which the device is operated, so that the lower edge 256 of the upper wall and the lower edges 258 of the end walls of the nozzle 256 are maintained in upwardly spaced relation above such surface, in the interest of uninterrupted intake of waste material present on the surface.

A transversely elongated cylindrical intake brush 268, fixed on a shaft 270, extends across the interior of the nozzle 256, and is concentric with respect to the curved portion 252, on the top wall of the nozzle, the ends of the shaft 270 being journaled on the end walls 260. A sprocket wheel 272, on one end of the shaft 270, has trained therea-round the chain 241 which, in FIGURES 1 to 7, drives the auger conveyor 236. The brush 268 serves to sweep up and to throw waste material, from a surface beneath the nozzle 256, upwardly and rearwardly into the intake assembly and to the intake blower casing.

When the gear shift lever 34 is moved to a position other than that producing material handling operation of the device, and other than a neutral position, so as to discontinue this operation, the ground engaging drive wheels 14 of the device are actuated for propelling the device over a surface, as between a point of pick-up of material, and a point of disposal of the processed material.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a support, a heating chamber upstanding on the support and having an open lower end, a collection tank on the support open to the lower end of the chamber, said chamber having a closed upper end, a products of combustion stack on and opening through said upper end, burner means on opposed walls of the chamber, the burner means on opposed walls being vertically spaced and vertically staggered with respect to each other, horizonal and vertically spaced rows of agitator rollers extending between said opposed walls, the rows of rollers being located in the spaces between burner means, a closed hollow receiver upstanding on the upper end of the heating chamber, air escape means on the upper part of the receiver, a horizontal conveyor trough extending between said opposed walls beneath said upper end of the chamber, said trough having a bottom wall formed with opening means discharging onto agitator rollers, a conveyor screw extending along said trough, a drive means for rotating the conveyor screw and the agitator rollers, and conduit means leading to said receiver, the receiver and the chamber being in indirect communication with each other through said trough.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein material intake means is carried by the support, said intake means comprising a blower casing, to which the conduit means is connected in communication, a suction blower in said casing, said suction blower being operatively connected to said drive means, and an air intake assembly comprising a transversely elongated intake communicating with the blower casing and having end walls and having divergent upper and lower walls extending between the end walls, and rotary material introducing means housed in said intake and journaled on the end walls thereof and operatively connected to said drive means.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein material intake means is carried by the support, said intake means comprising a blower casing, to which the conduit means is connected in communication, a suction blower in said casing, said suction blower being operatively connected to said drive means, and an air intake assembly comprising a transversely elongated intake communicating with the blower casing and having end walls and having divergent upper and lower walls extending between the end walls, and rotary material introducing means housed in said intake and journaled on the end walls thereof and operatively connected to said drive means, said material introducing means comprising an auger conveyor having oppositely acting screw portions adapted to move intake material in opposite directions to the blower casing.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein material intake means is carried by the support, said intake means comprising a blower casing, to which the conduit means is connected in communication, a suction blower in said casing, said suction blower being operatively connected to said drive means, and an air intake assembly comprising a transversely elongated intake communicating with the blower casing and having end walls and having divergent upper and lower walls extending between the end walls, and rotary material introducing means housed in said intake and journaled on the end walls thereof and operatively connect-ed to said drive means, said material introducing means comprising rotary brush means adapted to move material into the intake and to the blower casing.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein material intake "means is carried by the support, said intake means comprising a blower casing, to which the conduit means is connected in communication, a suction blower in said casing, said suction blower being operatively connected to said drive means and an air intake assembly comprising a transversely elongated intake communicating with the blower casing and having end walls and having divergent upper and lower walls extending between the end walls, and rotary material introducing means housed in said intake and journaled on the end walls thereof and operatively connected to said drive means, said drive means being operatively connected to the suction blower.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein material intake means is carried by the support, said intake means comprising a blower casing, to which the conduit means is connected in communication, a suction blower in said casing, said suction blower being operatively connected to said drive means, and an air intake assembly comprising a transversely elongated intake communicating with the blower casing and having end walls and having divergent upper and lower walls extending between the end walls, and rotary material introducing means housed in said intake and journaled on the end walls thereof and operatively connected to said drive means, said drive means being operatively connected to the suction blower, fuel supply means on the support for the burner means, said supply means comprising fuel tank connected to the burner means, and air compressor means connected to the tank and to the burner means for mixing air with the fuel under pressure to the burner means.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein said agitator rollers comprise cylindrical forms having axial shafts journaled on and extending between said opposed chamber walls, spaced end walls axially secured on the shafts, and channel-shaped raddles extending between and fixed to the end walls and equally spaced around the end Walls.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein said agitator rollers comprise cylindrical forms having axial shafts journaled on and extending between said opposed chamber walls, spaced end walls axially secured on the shafts, and channel-shaped raddles extending between and fixed to the end walls and equally spaced around the end walls, the agitator rollers in adjacent rows being staggered, the rollers of one adjacent row being positioned between adjacent rollers of the other adjacent row.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein a processed material collection tank is disposed beneath the open lower end of the chamber, a removable screened tray slidably interposed between the open lower end of the heating chamber and the collection tank.

10. A device according to claim 1, wherein a processed material collection tank is disposed beneath the open lower end of the chamber, and a removable screened tray slidably interposed between the open lower end of the heating chamber and the collection tank, wherein said support has forward and rear ends, said chamber and said collection tank being located at the rear end of the support, a blower actuated intake means on the forward end of the vehicle, said conduit means being connected to the intake means, and motor means on the vehicle between the heating chamber and said intake means and operatively connected to the drive means.

11. A device according to claim 1, wherein a processed material collection tank is disposed beneath the open lower end of the chamber, and a removable screened tray slidably interposed between the open lower end of the heating chamber and the collection tank, wherein said support has forward and rear ends, said chamber and said collection tank being located at the rear end of the support, a blower actuated intake means onthe forward end of the vehicle, said conduit means being connected to the intake means, and motor means on the vehicle between the heating chamber and said intake means and operatively connected to the drive means, said support being a vehicle,

12. A device according to claim 1, wherein a processed material collection tank is disposed beneath the open lower end of the chamber, and a removable screened tray slidably interposed between the open lower end of the heating chamber and the collection tank, wherein said support has forward and rear ends, said chamber and said collection tank being located at the rear end of the support, a blower actuated intake means on the forward end of the vehicle, said conduit means being connected to the intake means, and motor means on the vehicle between the heating chamber and said intake means and operatively connected to the drive means, said support being a vehicle having ground-engaging drive wheel means, and shiftable means for selectively connecting the motor means to said drive means or to said drive wheel means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,255,982 2/1918 Byers 56l0 1,746,417 2/1930 Churl.

2,178,400 10/1939 Marino 37l2 2,630,637 3/1953 Smith 37- 12 2,738,786 3/1956 Leary 3712 X 2,977,903 4/1961 Purdy ll0l9 X 3,304,632 2/1967 Kotlar et a1. 37l2 3,309,798 3/1967 Devlin et a1. 37-12 ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

A. E. KOPECKI, Assistant Examiner. 

